Greene and Gold
by Iscalta
Summary: The first of a few HGxASOIAF crossovers involving tributes from the 74th Games dropped into Planetos just as ADWD (the fifth GOT book) ends. In short, shenanigans ensue. This one involves the female tribute from District 1, Glimmer, and an OC of my own making. Could end up looking superlong, but I'm too lazy to work out how chapters work.


You could always tell where the officers had been by the way they walked back to the barracks. If they'd been drinking, they swaggered but stumbled, steps uneven. If they were sparring or chasing thieves or cheats, or just clearing the peasants out of their filthy hovels, their steps were heavy to match their breathing. If they'd been whoring, their steps were short and deliberate, almost brisk. Most of the time, they ignored Landyn because he was from the Reach and they were westermen or from the city, King's Landing, itself. Not that Landyn _deserved_ to be ignored (or so he felt) he had survived the Battle of the Blackwater, after all. Silently, Landyn congratulated himself on his eighteenth birthday, knowing nobody else knew or cared. Suddenly, he was broken from his silent contemplation. "Oi, Greene. You ever have a woman before?" slurred one of the watch officers, a pudgy sergeant with wine staining his jerkin. Landyn stared at him. "I'm no eunuch, sir. Speaking of, the brothel down the street has a new redhead. Why not go have a look?" The sergeant gave a laugh and stumbled off, drunk as a lord. Actually, Landyn had never gone further than a few awkward kisses back in the hamlet he was born in. He silently left the barracks and headed into the alleyways of King's Landing, making his rounds.

He stepped gingerly into a low-slung tavern and nodded to the bent old man minding the ale. He gave Landyn a half-pint and waved away the coins as usual. Landyn had stopped this whole street from burning down with a little quick thinking during the Blackwater, and the owner of the tavern gave him his first half-pint of the night free of charge. Landyn's nod was returned with his coins, and the young man-at-arms stepped back out into the street, just in time to see a rat steal a bit of charred meat from a slightly grayer rat and make off with its prize. In King's Landing, ratcatching was turning into a true profession with the food shortage hitting as hard as it did. It provided a steady source of meat as well as entertainment. The consensus amidst the urchins and beggars seemed to be that the brown rats were brawny idiots, the black ones were opportunistic thieving bastards, and the gray ones were flighty and spineless but gnawed on sacks of corn or grain before meat (or a corpse). Debating how much chaos he could cause with a white rat or some dye, Landyn walked further into the narrow alleys, planning on visiting a well and making sure nobody had drowned-or was drowned- in it.

At first sight, it looked alright. Unable to suppress the childhood ritual he used to do back in the Reach, he went into his pocket for a few pennies, thinking of the same wish he'd wished since he was nine, when his older sister married a boy two farms over after three years of courting. He didn't know where Ellyn was now. He knew what he wanted, though. A beautiful girl he could fall in love with, who would likewise fall in love with him, and then share a long life and many children with her. Giving a chuckle at the childishness of his behavior, knowing every other young man went to bed dreaming the same dream, he kissed the handful of pennies and tossed them in the well. After a few silent minutes he knew would come, Landyn took a small stick of bitterleaf out of his pocket and chewed it thoughtfully. Out of the night came a filthy orphan boy, wandering into the tiny junction the well dominated, watching Landyn. "Cold out, boy. Late, too. Why aren't you asleep somewhere?" No response but a long stare. "You deaf? Answer me." said Landyn, getting off the wall. The boy opened his mouth to reveal a startling lack of tongue. "Oh. Uh, sorry…" he said sheepishly. "Here, make a wish." He tossed a few more pennies at the boy, who scrambled for the coins. "You toss them in the well and wish for something, but don't tell anyone what you wished for, or it won't come true." The boy made a face and opened his mouth again, which made Landyn mentally smack himself. The mute smiled widely and tossed the coins into the well, eyes shut tight. After a moment, he peeked in, and his eyes went wide. Pointing frantically in the well, the orphan silently implored Landyn to look. Chuckling a bit, he decided to play along, walking over and looking in. He saw a beautiful face looking up at him, with the bright green eyes and sea of golden hair of House Lannister. Staring blankly at the frightened eyes, he slowly looked up as if confused. He gaped for a few seconds until a tiny dirty hand hit him in the side of the head. "Oh…right! Er…Right!" he gasped, sticking the butt of his spear into the well. The girl immediately grabbed it, and together, Landyn and the mute managed to pull her out of the water, Landyn falling down backward with the effort, the girl on top of him. "What the hell? Some Games this is!" she cried.

Rendered as mute as the urchin at the sight of her face glowering down from a few inches away, Landyn only stared at the lovely creature the Seven sent him- and a Lannister at that! She pushed off of him and got to her feet. "What…what the…" she gasped, looking around, getting more upset by the second. "Uh, milady, are you hurt?" stuttered Landyn, getting to his feet as the mute looked on in awe. "What? Why're you talking like that? Where's Cato and the others?!" she cried, almost screaming. Realizing his spear wasn't going to help calm her down, Landyn let it fall, holding out his hands. "Who? Please, milady, calm down, you're safe and sound." he said, hoping to soothe her. She sniffled. "What the hell's going on?" she mumbled, patting her soaked…clothing. Actually, it looked like no other clothing Landyn had ever seen, even foreign wear. The mute gently took her hand in his, as if to check if she were real. "Milady, what's your name?" She sniffled again. "Glimmer…Glimmer Morningtide." He gaped. Not a Lannister? Impossible. She bore all the features of a daughter of Casterly Rock, the great Lannister castle far to the west, filled with vaults of gold. "Well…Glimmer, are you hurt?" "No, just confused and frustrated! Where are the other tributes? The Cornucopia?" she asked demandingly. Landyn got a headshake and a shrug from the orphan. "Glimmer, I'm afraid you're not making any sense. Why don't we get you into something dry?" he suggested. She sniffled again. Landyn worried she might catch something in this state. "Okay…" she said miserably. "What?" "Yes, yes, fine!" she snapped, in tears.

Landyn tossed his cloak around her shoulders. "How'd you get in that well?" he asked. "I have no idea! I was headed into the Arena…" she furrowed her brow. "There was this light…look, I don't know where I am, is this part of the Games?" she asked, almost pleadingly. "I…I don't think so." said Landyn, furiously trying to think of anything this Glimmer girl could mean. "We need to find you something dry before you catch a chill." As if on cue, she sniffled again and peered about. "Is that an Avox? He's filthy!" she cried, picking him up with astonishing strength and dunking him in the well. "Hey! That's drinking water, don't go ruining it!" cried Landyn, trying to pull him out. The boy came up coughing, wearing a bemused expression as Glimmer wiped his face off, murmuring darkly. "Um, Glimmer, we should probably get you inside." Landyn stressed, gesturing vaguely towards a building, now sure she'd caught a chill with all her sniffling. The mute took Glimmer's hand and started gently tugging her the way he came. "Hey! Quit it!" she said, slapping his wrist. "Just go with him, I'll go too…" said Landyn, unwilling to let his answered prayer leave him so soon.

Following the mute was harder than he would have guessed. Shimmying through a maze of even narrower alleyways and between buildings took a lot of finesse, and Landyn was surprised Glimmer could do it all. Just as he was going to ask where they were headed, he saw a tiny sept up against the city wall. The mute climbed in a window and returned with a set of septa's robes. "Hey, these aren't silk!" Glimmer complained. "Could you just put them on? You can't be walking around in strange clothes and soaked besides. Go change over there, we'll wait right here." Glimmer pouted, took the robes and slunk off. "Not a bad find, little rat." Landyn said, clapping the mute on the shoulder. He grinned. Glimmer came back over to them. "How do I look?" she asked. Landyn stared. In soaked, unfamiliar material, it was impossible to guess what kind of body Glimmer had, but in septa's robes, modest and plain as they were, every one of Glimmer's curves was given a startling reveal. She was clearly buxom, with a natural sashay that swung her perfect hips as she moved. Forget diddling little boys, septons would kill to bed a girl like her.

While Landyn stammered like a fool, the mute smiled and nodded before elbowing him in the gut. "Oh…right." he said, still staring. "Uhm, what am I even wearing?" Glimmer asked, picking at her wrist. Landyn blinked. "Septa's robes. You know, a septa. Daughter of the Seven and all that." said Landyn, still not totally free of the unexpected sight. "The who now?" the mute slapped his tiny forehead with a groan. "Don't worry. Just, if someone addresses you as 'Septa', do your best to answer them in a civil manner. Until we figure out what game the gods are playing, you'll be Septa Glimmer, alright?" "Mm, fine, but…what now? I have to find the other Careers, guys! What's your name, anyway?" she asked for the first time. "Landyn Greene of the Reach. What's a Career?" Glimmer gaped at him. "Careers? The Hunger Games? Panem?" she asked, getting a little hysterical. "I don't know what you're talking about, _Septa_." he said, stressing the last word. "Neither will anyone else, so don't go asking everyone about a panim or creers." The mute's stomach gave a growl. "I'm hungry too." Glimmer piped up. Landyn rubbed his eyes. "Right. Let's go find something to eat."

"No. Way!" Glimmer cried when she heard Landyn's idea. "All you have to do is walk up to the sept and ask for a bowl each for a traveling septa, her bodyguard and an orphan!" he groaned. Glimmer gulped. "I don't talk like you, though." "So what? Just do it. You don't seem like someone who takes chances, what could go wrong?" he said, trying to cheer her up. "Fine,I'll be right back." She sauntered off. "She'll be fine, but what's this Morningtide nonsense? If she were any more Lannister, she'd be a lion." Landyn said to the little mute, who furrowed his brow and nodded vigorously. Evidently he'd been thinking about it too. "What's your name, anyway? D'you know how old you are?" The mute shrugged at the first question, looking around and pointing at a black rat watching them from a rubbish pile. Then he held up nine fingers. Landyn laughed. "You're very long-lived, for a rat." The mute grinned too. Glimmer sashayed back over, a smile on her face. "Lookit!" she cried, holding out her hands. An apple for each of them! The mute ate his eagerly, and Landyn gave him half of his own. He'd eaten at thebarracks. "Want the other half?" He held out a hand to Glimmer, who looked at him, and took it. "I told them I was a 'Daughter of the Seven' as you put it, in need of some food for my followers. They gave me some apples!" she said, delighted this first interaction had gone so smoothly. "Well done, Septa." Landyn nodded to her.

"Now I suppose we should figure out what to do next." he said, worrying a bit. The rat raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Glimmer asked, finishing her apple. "Well, you have the traditional looks of a Lannister." She frowned. "You said that before. What's a Lannister?" The rat gaped and stared between them. "A Lannister, you know, the noble house of the West?" She shook her head. "Well, they look like you, or you look like them. Blonde hair, green eyes, and great beauty." Glimmer blinked. "You mean they're from District 1?" she cried. The mute shook his head. "We don't know what you mean by that." said Landyn apologetically. To his dismay, the girl began to cry. "No! Shh…" he said awkwardly, as she suddenly embraced him and laid her head on his shoulder. Landyn looked with wide eyes at the rat. The tiny boy took a breath, then put his hands up in a pouncing motion and bared his teeth. "There aren't any Lannisters left in King's Landing." The rat held up a rock. "Casterly Rock? How will we get all the way west with a war on?" The mute shrugged and pointed at Glimmer. "Three people won't make it all that way…" said Landyn dubiously. The rat tore off the gold Tyrell rose on his jerkin. "Hey!" he blurted, before realizing what the rat meant. A Tyrell man-at-arms would stand out in the west. "Right. Damn, but you burn bright." He muttered. "Can…can I have a bow?" gasped Glimmer, finally letting go of Landyn. "A bow?" "Yeah, I can shoot okay." The rat looked at him, surprised. "You're an archer?" "Yeah. Sorta. I learned how at the Academy. I can use a shortsword okay, but I prefer bows." Landyn stared. "Gods…. Sorry, but young women usually aren't trained at arms." The rat nodded assent. "Well, this may be good, actually. A lucky roll at last." He slipped her his shortsword and it disappeared into her robes. "Can I have a dagger,too?" she asked, biting her lip. He flipped her one and she caught it easily. "Clove, eat yourheart out. So we're going west to Casterly Rock or wherever?" "Yes. I'd like to get you out of the Landing. Even looking like a Lannister isn't safe just now."

Some wit had the city gates closed after sundown, so Landyn spent a few minutes arguing with a guard. "Don't care if you need to leave. Ser Kevan Lannister was just killed, Lord Tyrell told us no one in or out till sunrise." "Oh?" purred a voice behind them. Both men looked over in surprise and Landyn gasped. Glimmer had removed her septa's hood and spoke with a sultry low voice. The guard, some wineskin on legs, grinned. "Have you anything to confess, either of you?" she asked. "Forget this green boy, 'Septa'. He wouldn't know what to do with that body of yours." "True. Why don't I relieve you of your burdens in the gatehouse?" she asked with a perfectly-timed wink. The man laughed. "Oh, but you are a gift from the Seven themselves." He turned and headed into the gatehouse. Behind his back, Glimmer made an exaggerated-or not- face of disgust. She sashayed in after him. Landyn heard giggling and the rustling of clothing, then an unexpected loud 'Crack'. He rushed in and nearly tripped over the unconscious form of the wineskin. Glimmer had her back to him, just finishing redressing. "What?" she asked. "I'm stronger than I look." she said, passing him with a bow in hand. The rat gave his hand a pull, and he followed them through the gatehouse, hopped through a window, and walked with them into the night. "So where are we going again? West?" "Yes, to the Lannister castle, Casterly Rock." Landyn said before turning to the mute. "It's no good. We'll never make it. It's too far away, even without the Seven Kingdoms coming apart at the seams and looters everywhere." The rat frowned and pointed north, which got a loud curse from Landyn. "We aren't going north, either!" The rat huffed and began drawing in the dirt, Landyn barely able to make it out. "Hey! That's a lamb!" Glimmer cried, pleased she could tell. "I have no idea what you mean." Landyn confessed. Two figures joined the lamb, one small, one tall. The tall one was circled and connected to the lamb, while the rat pointed to the small one and drew a line across his face. "The Imp? But he's long gone." Landyn said dubiously. The rat shook his head and drew a chain over the taller figure. "The Imp's pet sellsword? Ser Bronn?" The rat nodded. "You want us to go to Stokeworth?" Again, a nod, and a firm finger pointing north.

"So why're we going to this place?" Glimmer asked after they set off. She seemed quite put off by the prospect of a long journey, though the woods, on foot. "We need to talk to someone. Actually, he was captain of the city guard for awhile." said Landyn, also not relishing the walk. On the other hand, the little mute seemed overjoyed at the thought of leaving the stinking overcrowded city behind. Over the next day, he kept finding nuts for Glimmer and Landyn, little bitter things with a pleasant aftertaste. Once, they happened upon a tiny stream and Glimmer managed to shoot a rabbit. Landyn made a fire, ready to camp for the coming night. The mute was busy banging a rock against a tree, so Landyn went to Glimmer, who was busily working on a stew. "What did you mean about the 'Games'?" he asked quietly. Glimmer looked at the rat for a long time, happily making a racket with his rock, until an acorn hit him in the head. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get to where we're going. I'll tell you sometime, I promise." Landyn bit his lip and nodded. "The man we need to see at Stokeworth, Ser Bronn, served a member of the Lannister family, Tyrion the Imp, for a year and then some. The name Lannister isn't a safe one in the Crownlands -the place we are right now- just now. The Imp has fled King's Landing and is wanted for the killing of his father, Lord Tywin Lannister." "Wait, he killed his own dad?" cried Glimmer, eyes wide. "So they say. For all the years of icy indifference, or perhaps for siring him in the first place. Anyway, Ser Bronn may know where the Imp has gone, or at least give you a safe place to stay for awhile." Another acorn fell on the rat's head, and Landyn laughed. "This Stokeworth place will be safe?" Glimmer asked. "It should be. A beautiful young woman like you shouldn't be on the road or in the wilderness." She blushed. "How long before we get there, anyway?" The rat held up three fingers. Landyn and Glimmer both groaned. The little boy shrugged and help up a handful of nuts. Glimmer took one and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes went wide suddenly, and she picked up her bow. Landyn heard a growling behind him. Slowly, he turned around and not ten feet away, three wolves stood snarling, teeth bared.

"Get behind me." Landyn said quietly. She squeaked and obeyed, arrow notched. The mute was nowhere to be seen. The alpha growled a little when Landyn leveled his spear at him. "Off with you. We've got no food." said Landyn loudly. The alpha answered with a bark. Another wolf entered the clearing off to the right. Soon, they would attack. Landyn gave a shout and his spear shot out at the alpha wolf's face. The beast nimbly jerked to the side, but he seemed to realize he could not counter the spear's reach himself. Another wolf made to jump on Landyn and Glimmer put an arrow in its side. Landyn saw the alpha's attention falter and lunged again, catching the wolf on the side of his face. He gave a yip and a snarl before running off, its fellows only a step behind. Glimmer breathed a sigh of relief, but Landyn reprimanded her. "Keep your bow up! They might come back!" Suddenly, he rat scurried down from a tree, wildly waving his hands and panicking. A long, low howling came through the trees. "More wolves?" Landyn cried, getting a frantic nod. Breathing hard, he turned to Glimmer. "Run." She turned and dashed off, holding up her septa's dress to move faster. Running after her, Landyn gripped his spear with one hand, the other out in front of him to stop leaping attacks. The sound of rushing water came to him, and over a small hill, there was a river twice as wide as he was tall. "Jump!" he cried, diving in. Popping up and taking a long breath, he saw Glimmer struggling a bit with the current but managing to get to shore. He made the opposite shore soon after, and he saw a small dark blur shot out of the trees into the river. The rat's head popped up a moment later, grinning ear to ear.

While Landyn pulled the rat out of the river, Glimmer collapsed in a heap, sniffling. "Wet again…" she grumbled. The mute suddenly shook himself like a dog, getting water everywhere. "Ackthp!" Glimmer spluttered, falling over sideways. "Oh, up you get, sweetling. You'll get dry once we reach Stokeworth." Glimmer sniffled again in response, crossing her arms and pouting. "Carry me." She said. "Uh…" Landyn looked at the rat. The small boy nodded, holding up two fingers, and pointing at the setting sun. Landyn scooped Glimmer up and followed the mute away from the river. "Wait, do you know where we're going?" Landyn asked, raising an eyebrow. The rat scooped something up off the ground, and showed it to the pair. "Ick! A spider!" cried Glimmer, burying her head in Landyn's chest. Landyn blinked, confused, and the rat quickly grabbed the front of his rags. "Wait…you're one of the spider's informants?" the rat crushed the spider in his hand. "Or were? I suppose he must've shown you a map of the Crownlands at least…" The rat nodded. "Where is Varys now?" The mute shrugged, before eating another nut. After a few hours of walking north, even Glimmer's soft weight was a burden, and Landyn had to stop. He gently set her down on a log, and let himself fall backward onto the ground. "Ahh…" he groaned, stretching out. "Forgive me, sweetling, but even you are a trial to carry after awhile." He said up to her on her log. "Hmph!" she pouted, evidently enjoying being carried. "I promise, I'll carry you all the way if you like, Glimmer, but I need to rest just now." Glimmer just huffed and hugged herself.

"I'm still damp. I need a change of clothes; I've been wearing these robes for days." "Stokeworth is a castle, Glimmer. They'll have plenty of everything, never fear." Landyn reassured her. Glimmer removed her plain cotton wimple and wrung it out, frowning. "I don't think septars should look so roadworn." "Septas. They're called septas. Sometimes they wander, but usually septons are the ones who walk about the Seven Kingdoms, preaching about the Seven." "Seven what?" Glimmer asked, now wringing the hem of her robes. "Uh, the Seven?" The New Gods?" Father, Mother, Warrior, Smith, Crone, Maid, Stranger?" Glimmer stared. "What's a god?" Landyn stared right back. Then, he stared at the rat. What _was_ a god? "Uh, they're…like people…but not around." "Huh?" "People don't see them; they aren't, uh, solid or visible. They watch over us and protect us in perilous times." Landyn explained. "How do you know they're real if you can't see them? Or worse, what if it's the opposite, and they're malignant and interfere with a would-be perfect world?" "They're not. They protect us and aren't arbitrary like the other gods." "There are others?" Glimmer asked.

"Um, the Ironborn have the Drowned God, he's a water god I guess-" "How does an incorporeal lungless _water_ god drown?" interrupted Glimmer, making the rat clack, a sort of tongueless laugh. Landyn shrugged. "He's opposed by the Storm God, a wind god who uses storms and lightning to harm the Ironborn." "Or, living on the sea exposes them to lots of bad storms. Idiots." Glimmer said. "Er, right. The Red God, R'hllor, came over from the east. His worshippers, I mean. Same basic story only this time, its fire against ice." "What's the ice god's name?" Glimmer asked. Landyn shrugged. "Apparently he's so evil, no one should ever name him aloud. The ice god is another malignant entity, opposing R'hllor, but any god against burning people alive is one worth considering." Glimmer's eyes went wide. "They burn people here?" she gasped, earning Landyn a slap to the back of the head from the rat for upsetting her. "No! Not in Westeros. It's all just prayer and…songs." I don't know what the old gods do, I think you just ask a tree for things in your head." "Well, that's better than all this nonsense about elements being conscious vengeful beings. I bet you Westerosites like the Seven because they're people." "What do you mean, people?" Landyn asked, perplexed. "The seven you described are people." Two arms, two legs, and a head. You can talk to a person easier than talking to a burning torch, even if the person is imaginary." Landyn was quiet for a long time. "I'm sorry, did I upset you?" she asked, biting her lip. "…No. I suppose it does all sound quite mad." "It doesn't make any sense. If they aren't around, and never appear, how d'you know they're real?" Landyn shrugged. "Faith, I suppose. I never really questioned it before." He got up when the mute gave him a prod. "Time to move. Can you walk?" "…Yes, but I much prefer being carried." Glimmer said, giggling and sashaying off after the rat, fully aware of Landyn's eyes on her behind. Landyn found his spear and followed.

Soon, the thick forest of the Kingswood gave way to small farms and fields. "Part of Stokeworth's lands." Landyn explained to Glimmer. Most of the croplands were worse for wear, however. "War's taken its toll. We'll have food shortages come winter." "What war?" asked Glimmer, playing with her bow, plucking the string. "The War of Five Kings... Lots of people died, and the country's in utter disarray. It's calm in Dorne and the Vale, so far as I know, but those places are far to the south and east, respectively. We just need to get to Stokeworth and hope "Ser" Bronn remembers all the gold the Imp gave him." Out of one of the nearby cottages, a young woman near Glimmer's age came running towards them. Landyn instinctively readied his spear, but Glimmer gave him a nudge. "She's unarmed, relax." "Septa!" the peasant girl cried. Glimmer blinked. "Who, me?" "It's my father; he took a wound from some deserters of one army or another. We think his leg is gangrenous, can you hear his confession?" The girl begged tearfully. Glimmer looked stunned. "Uh, I'm not quite a septa yet…" she sputtered, but the girl was near hysterics. "Please! Our old septon got killed in a raid, we have nobody!" she cried. "O-okay, why don't you lead us inside?" "Thank you, septa!" the girl wailed, half-dragging Glimmer across the small wheat field. Glimmer got inside half a second before Landyn did, and he heard her gag.

Outside, the smell wasn't really noticeable, but the inside reeked like an abattoir. An older man lay half on a straw bed and half off, his rotting leg hanging off the straw. Glimmer shrieked. "Well, no wonder it's infected! You have him lying on a muddy pile of straw!" _What? _thought Landyn. "I don't suppose you people have any penicillin or anti-inflammatories?" she asked the girl. "Wh-what?" "Uhm, okay…they taught us how do to this stuff in the Academy…" Glimmer mumbled, further mystifying everyone present. Her eyes popped open. "Oh!" She plunged her hand into one of the robe's side pockets, and pulled out a gold ring, topped by a black pearl. "No…" She resumed looking, and revealed a silver ring with a pink pearl, a mirror to the first one, but differently colored. "Uh, this is going to look super suspicious, and please don't freak out about "miracles" and the "Seven" and junk. What I'm about to do is totally commonplace where I am from, and is in no way special or magical." Glimmer said firmly, before twisting the little pink pearl until a tiny point appeared, only half as long as the pearl was wide. She kneeled over the man's rotting leg, ignoring his pleas for a last confession. "No need. You're not dying." She stuck him with the pink needle, and twisted the pearl back to its original position. The man gave a gasp, and almost immediately, the blotchy black-and green sores and patches began to heal. "Don't move for a day or so. Gangrene that bad would be deadly in the Arena, so I'm not sure I got enough antibiotic to cure such a case. Just…lay somewhere that isn't totally filthy, and you should be walking by tomorrow." Glimmer said. The girl immediately started to speak, but Glimmer put a finger on her lips. "I said, no babbling about gods or whatever. I know what I'm doing, that's the important thing. We were never here, and this never happened." With that, Glimmer strode out of the cottage, a stunned Landyn and a mystified rat behind her.

"Glimmer? What the hell did you just do?" asked Landyn after they were out of sight of the cottage. "Sometimes the Careers get a dedicated healer, and I was one of the best at the Academy. That's why they couldn't kill me off, even though I'm not some unstoppable killing machine. Usually, the medic gets a medicinal ring and a… not medicinal ring as a sponsor gift, smuggling it in as a token, or finding one in the Cornucopia." Landyn's head spun while the mute just shrugged and squeezed Glimmer and Landyn's hands, swinging between them. "Oh…right. That…made no sense at all." "I know, I'm sorry. I forget sometimes I'm nowhere near home. I wonder how I got here." "Well, who really cares? I mean…it wouldn't hurt to know, but you just saved a man's life, and probably his daughter's, too. I think you should…anticipate being in Westeros for some time." Landyn said, blushing. Glimmer bit her lip. "I guess, but I can't just go around saving deathly ill people with a poke and not expect someone to say something eventually. She's probably giving thanks to the dogs, or gods, whatever, that a septa with a magic ring came by, poked her dad with it, and shoved off." "You're worried that you'll be…what? Known? Revered?" asked Landyn. "Yeah, I guess. I'm too young for that kind of attention." She blinked, and gasped. "I'm too young to be a Victor."

Eventually, the castle came into view, surrounded by the hovels and small houses of the common folk. "Oooh! Look at that cute little town!" cooed Glimmer. Landyn blinked, and then softly took her arm. "Look, it'll be like the cottage we passed. More people afraid for themselves, for their families, for their children. Most like, they'll flock to you, asking for the blessing of the Seven. Try not to say anything too outlandish." Glimmer bit her lip. "Wait! I don't know anything about this place!" "Relax. You'll do just fine. Just like getting those apples." He assured her. The rat led them into the small hamlet, purposefully placing himself between the inhabitants and Glimmer. "Septa! Welcome to Stokeworth, bless you!" One old woman croaked, while a small boy on his mother's arm pointed and shrieked "Pretty!" Glimmer put on a smile and let them touch her robe, but Landyn could tell this wasn't how her life was before he found her in that well. She wasn't used to being liked, being adored. "Back, there. Septa Glimmer has business with Ser Bronn and Lady Lollys." Said Landyn, trying to act like the bodyguard he imagined lovely highborn ladies had. The peasants moved off a little, and Glimmer walked unblocked to the castle gate. "Captain, get them to open this. We've got a lot of other towns to visit after Stokeworth." she said imperiously. After a minute, the rat gave Landyn a nudge, as the man-at-arms was unaware "Captain" meant _him_. "Oh, er, sorry, Septa. OI! Get this gate open!" he shouted at the gatehouse. After a muttered curse, the gate went up enough for Glimmer to pass under, stooping. "Bless you, the Seven guide your way." she said to the winch workers. A sellsword came out of the castle proper, grinning at Glimmer lecherously. "Who are you, then? Ser Bronn?" Landyn asked. "I'm no ser, as happens. I'm Murrand. Ser Bronn's indisposed as now, but you and the lady and…that thing are welcome to wait in the hall." "Thank you, Murrand. You have the Seven's blessing." Glimmer said, going inside. Murrand's mud-brown eyes on her backside told Landyn he'd rather have _her_ blessing. "Piss off, you grub. She's a septa, not a slattern." hissed Landyn, passing the man. The rat thumbed his nose at Murrand and followed.

Landyn pulled out a chair for Glimmer in Stokeworth's hall, lit a fire in the hearth and stood behind her chair, waiting for Bronn. The rat slipped a dinner knife into his ratty trousers. "Be careful with that." Landyn said as the doors opened and Ser Bronn came in, the burning green chain on his jerkin evoking memories of the Blackwater. "Are…you…_fucked_?!" he hissed. Glimmer raised her eyebrow and Landyn moved to speak, but Bronn interrupted. "I'm already getting assassins out my nose from that bitch-queen, and you bring a Lannister to Stokeworth?" "We're not staying, ser-" began Glimmer. "I'll say you aren't. No, I've got no clue where the Imp- or his wife- or Varys have gone!" he slumped into a chair. "I'm done with Lannisters. Find somewhere else to go." "The Lannisters of Casterly Rock-" Landyn began, but he was interrupted. "are infamous for tearing into one another as vicious as real lions. The Imp is an attainted kinslayer and kingslayer, and fled besides. Good luck finding this girl a safe place with him. The bitch-queen is just that, a bitch-queen, and no one not her own child is safe around her. The Kingslayer, that is the one who slew a real king, Jaime Lannister is off playing outlaw hunter somewhere north of Riverrun. He's got no place for some lost cousin or whoever you are." grumbled Bronn. "Well, I can't exactly walk all the way west from here, can I?" said Glimmer angrily. "Also, stop calling me a Lannister. My name is Glimmer Morningtide." Bronn snorted. "And I'm a lost Targaryen, complete with dragon. You've got the looks, that's all that matt-" His jaw dropped. "Hold right the hell on."

"Glimmer, how old are you?" "I'm seventeen, Ser." Bronn furrowed his brow. He turned to Landyn. "Did you know the Imp was married once? Before the Stark girl?" Landyn's eyes widened. "Really? I didn't know." "Nobody does. As it turns out, his father, being an arrogant ass-covering prick, had it annulled after only one night. For that one night though, a crofter's daughter was a Lannister of Casterly Rock." Landyn's eyes went wider. "By law, were a child conceived, it would have a legitimate claim to Casterly Rock. He said. "Exactly. She could pass for a Lannister in a heartbeat. Tyrion might be attainted, but his daughter couldn't be, who has committed no crime." Landyn turned to Glimmer. "Would you like a castle of your own?" She smiled. "Like Stokeworth?" "Not even close. Casterly Rock is in a whole different class. Massive, well-fortified, wealthy beyond knowing, and above all else, _safe_." "Fantastic. What's the catch?" "Well, I suppose there would be a fair bit of ruling involved, not to mention the inevitable marriage offers." Landyn explained. Glimmer grimaced. "Don't be silly. I'm not marrying anyone." Landyn shrugged. "Do you want to do it? Could you pass yourself off as a highborn lady?" Bronn asked. "Well, I'm from a really wealthy family…" she said. "How will we get out there?" Landyn frowned at Glimmer's question.

"She's right; do you have horses or a wagon?" "Aye, but it doesn't much matter. The wolf pack is spreading into the west and the Crownlands." Bronn said, drinking. Glimmer gulped. "Oh please, not more wolves…we saw a few on the way here." "They've got some direwolf bitch leading them. Bigger than a horse, I hear. Never leaves the Riverlands, people are calling her the River Queen." Bronn said, slamming his tankard onto the table. "Shit. We've got a way to steal Casterly Rock right out from under those gold-haired twats, but no way to get there." "Wolves don't run on water, Ser. We could take a ship and stay well away from the Iron Islands." Landyn suggested, as the rat popped grapes in his mouth. "Aye, we pull into Lannisport and prance her around in gold and crimson, maybe let her bed a few castle retainers, and she's Glimmer Lannister, Lady of Casterly Rock." the former sellsword said, laughing. "Other than me sleeping my way though a castle, not a bad plan." Glimmer piped up. "Could we get to a port from here?" "Not unless you feel like walking right back to the Landing. I suppose, if you take the Blackwater Rush it'll take you right up to the mountains near the Rock. We're on the wrong side of Westeros for sea travel, anyway." Bronn slumped further in his chair. "Will we run into any trouble on the river?" Glimmer asked. "No, should be calmer the further west you go. I tell you what, Stokeworth isn't really a place I care to sleep every night. Eventually, they'll besiege it if only to soothe the bitch-queen's ego. Why don't I go with you?" "Why would you risk your life so readily for a Lannister now?" asked Landyn, irritated. Ser Bronn grinned. "I've been a knight nearly two years. I've been a sellsword since I could _hold_ a sword. Gold, boy. If we get your girl's most perfect arse on Tywin Lannister's Golden Chair, I expect a handsome reward." He turned to Glimmer. "After all, it's what your father would have done."

After a few of Lady Lollys' maidservants had whisked Glimmer off for a bath and a new dress, Bronn turned to the rat. "So just how in balls did you get chummy with one of Varys' little birds?" he asked Landyn. The man-at-arms shrugged. "He wandered into a well yard when I did. He seemed glad enough to leave the Landing, though." "So was I. without the Imp, ugly little whoreson that he was, King's Landing was a boring overcrowded mess." "So you're just doing this for gold and not to…settle something with your memory of Lord Tyrion?" Bronn frowned. "Either way, it's my business, boy." Landyn nodded, called the rat, and headed to the room provided him. They didn't go a few feet before the mute got wrestled into a tub by one of the matrons. Landyn reached his room, found the tub blessedly full, removed his soiled leathers, and got in. As he washed off the preceding few days, he rethought their little scheme. Although Casterly Rock was the safest place for her, Glimmer would have to know a lot more about Westeros than she did. Particularly if the plan was for them to steal Casterly Rock- and all its gold- out from under the Lannisters. Also, what would they do when they got to the mountains? The goldroad was the only way through, and it was always well patrolled…when Tywin Lannister was alive and the five kings were only one. Landyn sank lower into the tub. Glimmer was a bright, beautiful girl. The westermen would love her, despite the Imp's murder of his father. The many younger Lannisters would no doubt adore her, and the older generations would, he hoped, see Lady Joanna in her every time they looked at her. No doubt, she was preferable to Cersei Lannister, or as Bronn referred to her, the "bitch-queen". However, it was just too far to travel. Casterly Rock was almost a thousand leagues away, boat or no. He frowned.

After drying off and dressing in new bottle-green attire, he went looking for Bronn. Out of a side room, Glimmer came pouting. "There was a black bird holding a note, and when I tried to take it, he bit me!" she pouted, showing her finger, with a visible cut. Only then did Landyn realize Glimmer had nothing on but a blanket wrapped around her. "My lady, you are not decent!" cried one of the maids, scandalized. Looking straight up at the ceiling until Glimmer was herded off to the wardrobe; Landyn went into the room after the messenger raven. "Corn?" it squorked, perched on a chair. "Note." "Corn?" "Note!" yelled Landyn. The raven cawed derisively, and he grabbed the message and shoved the infernal bird out a window. The note detailed Lord Emmon Frey's occupation of Riverrun, a lot of nonsense Lord Emmon evidently felt was important, and a notice that Stokeworth's soldiers were required to hold it with the upsurge in outlaw activity. Not that Bronn's men would ever obey a Frey. Most like, Frey sent these out to every holdfast Riverrun's birds could reach to swell his ego. Eventually, Landyn found Bronn and Murrand talking in Stokeworth's tiny solar. "The Blackfish has rallied a new group of outlaws to his cause; he plans to retake Riverrun from the Lannisters, no doubt. Wildlings are pouring in from beyond the Wall, and to make everything just perfect, the bitch-queen's pet gold cloaks are on their way." Bronn hissed. Landyn swallowed. "Well, it turns out we've been called to Riverrun." he said, holding out the note. Bronn read, and then blew his nose in it. "I'd sooner fuck the Imp than follow a Frey." He said, tossing it into the fire. His face lit up suddenly. "Emmon Frey? Hold on… Tyrion said something about him once; I think he's married to Lord Tywin's sister! Well, fuck! Getting to Riverrun and to Glimmer's great-aunt will be a lot easier than marching across the country!"

Once Glimmer got free of her handmaidens and into a new dress that matched Landyn's jerkin and trousers, he filled her in on the new plan. "We don't have to go all the way west. Turns out your great-aunt has taken up residence at Riverrun, which isn't nearly as dangerous a journey. Also, your aunt, the queen, has sent a detachment to oust Ser Bronn. We plan to be gone by the time they get here." Glimmer shrugged. "Sure, sounds good. Where's the rat?" "Probably fending off a bath with his teeth and a stick." Glowering, scrubbed pink and in a black miniature copy of Landyn's wear, the mute slunk into the room. "We're going to Riverrun with Bronn and the lads." The mute winced, rubbing his hands and face. "Oh, hush. You needed a bath, silly." chided Glimmer, kissing his cheek. "You got all your weapons back, right? The rings as well?" Both Glimmer and the rat nodded. "Good. I'm not sure how Genna Lannister will receive you Glimmer, so just sort of be yourself." Bronn came in, eating a strip of bacon. "Murrand's getting the others ready. I've left a note for the bitch-queen, explaining the situation." He grinned. Likely it was some obscene ramble with a few choice insults thrown in. "I got a raven out to Riverrun, so they'll be expecting us. Emmon Frey's idiocy just got us out of a tough spot, but we'll still need to be wary of outlaws and wolves. "No wolves!" cried Glimmer. "Relax. We'll stay on the road, and there's plenty of scum in Stokeworth can put a quarrel through man or beast." Bronn said, but she only bit her lip. Unexpectedly, she left the room. "Well, go get her, boy! Make her feel better or whatever it is charming princes do for fair ladies. I'm busy." He left too.

Landyn took a breath and followed Glimmer down the hall and into a guardroom. "Are you alright?" "I miss my home. I don't know anything here. I miss my parents. I miss my sister." Landyn frowned. "Well, maybe we'll figure out how you got here and how to get you home." He said, gingerly embracing her while inwardly cursing himself. Why would he let a girl like her leave? She laid her head on his shoulder and sniffled. "It will be easier for you once you're safe and sound with Genna Lannister in Riverrun." "She's not family, though! These Lannisters aren't related to me at all! I've never seen one before!" "Maybe, they look like you though. When you see Lady Genna, I think you'll be a bit more at ease." Landyn patted her on the back. The rat came into the room, probably inquiring after Glimmer's sniffles. Seeing her discomfort, in addition to Landyn's loss for words, he came over and gently squeezed her hand. She shuddered, broke away from Landyn, and hugged herself. "Alright…" she gasped. "You're right. I guess I'm just road-weary, just scared of the wolves." "They'll stay well away from us when we're with the sellswords. A loud band of surly, well-armed soldiers will repel most anything save a dragon, and all the dragons are dead." Landyn assured her.

Once they actually started out with Glimmer and the rat in a curtain-drawn carriage along with Bronn's lackwit wife and her infant, Landyn's anxiety waned a bit. They were headed for a place they could linger in. Genna Lannister would teach Glimmer how to be a lady, and they could wait out the last dregs of war behind Riverrun's high walls. He could hear an occasional giggle from the wagon, probably Glimmer enjoying not having to walk. Landyn didn't mind riding either, but the palfrey the stablehand had given him was a scrawny ash-colored thing, not at all a challenge for even a single healthy wolf. Murrand rode up to him. "Where did you even find her?" he asked quietly, letting his horse trot ahead a bit, out of earshot of the column. Landyn followed. "In a well in King's Landing." "Well, how the hell did she get there?" Murrand asked. "No idea. She babbled a bit about her homeland but none of it sounded familiar. I didn't really pry, she was quite distraught." Landyn said. "No fault there, lad. The last thing you should think about when you look at her is her birthplace." Landyn blushed. "I sound like a singer, but all I want is to find her someplace safe to live." "Nothing wrong with that. Something every man wants at one point or another is a sweet girl he can settle down with." "I can't marry her, I barely know her. I'm not old enough to be a father-" "There's fathers all over Westeros younger than you-" "I have no home to keep her safe-" "She's safe now. As long as she's got you, she's safe. Bronn and the rest of us don't live anywhere, thanks to that bitch-queen" "The Lady of Casterly Rock can't marry a footman from the Reach. If we succeed, likely the other lions will press her into a match with Willas Tyrell." Murrand frowned.

"Ah, well yes, that'd be a problem. Isn't Willas the cripple?" "Yes. His younger brothers, Garlan and Loras-" "-I know those two. Garlan's married to…someone, I can't recall who, but I know he's married, and Loras is in the Kingsguard. No wife for the heir to Highgarden though, and that's something the Fat Flower, the Fool of Thorns, Mace Tyrell would like to fix. Actually, the Tyrells were going to marry Willas to Sansa Stark before the lions got wind of it and shackled her to the Imp instead." "I never knew that. How did you find that out?" "Imp told Bronn, Bronn told me. Anyway, the Tyrells can't steal Glimmer if they don't know she exists. Also, there's sort of a war on. A long way between Riverrun and Highgarden." Murrand said, plucking a spider from his horse's mane. "Let the Tyrells lord it over the Reach for now, boy. Once you kill a dragon, find a magic sword, and rebuilt a lost kingdom, you can marry whoever the fuck you please, including Glimmer."

The next day, Landyn rode side-to-side with the carriage. "Glimmer, how are you?" he whispered. She poked her head out, smiling brightly. "I'm fine! Lady Lollys was telling me a story about something called a "shadowcat" rolling around in straw and prancing about pretending to be a lion!" Her face fell when she saw Landyn's expression. "Find out how it ends, hmm? How's our rat?" "Lollys says he needs another bath. He looks ready to jump out and take his chances with the wolves." She said. He left her, and went to Bronn. "How did Lollys find out Glimmer isn't from here?" "She overheard Murrand and I talking about the Blackfish and his River Kings, and whether she's in more or less danger being a Lannister." Landyn frowned. "What if she tells someone else?" "What if she tells someone she's a mermaid? Lollys is a halfwit. Who will believe her?" "Not so halfwitted as you think. She was making up a story about a shadowcat pretending to be a lion!" Bronn snorted. "So Lollys spent a day and a half making up a sentence-long story and now you're pissing yourself? Relax, lad. We haven't even made it far enough to parade her pretty arse around in gold and crimson. Right now, she's still just Glimmer, or Septa Glimmer if she feels. Landyn realized the sellsword was right. "I didn't think about the possibility of…keeping her a septa." "Depends how Genna Lannister reacts to her, I suppose." He shrugged. "Not that it matters. The half-dozen weeks before I left his service, I caught Lord Tyrion with a look on his face like a dragon was staring him down. Now, he pissed around about his family, about Stannis and about the Iron Bank, but whatever was on his mind then was serious enough that he wanted it close to the chest. If Tyrion Lannister, with all the influence, gold, and men at his command couldn't deal with whatever was going on in his little head, no one could." Landyn shivered. "What do you suppose it could have been?" "Don't know, don't want to know." "Bronn moved up the column. Landyn returned to the carriage, feeling a bit more mixed up than when he left it. Glimmer again poked her head out. "What's wrong?" she asked. What's _right_? thought Landyn.

The morning they reached Riverrun was bleak and gray, with rainclouds marshaling overhead, ready to loose their arrows on the world below. "Rain and snow at once, most like." Landyn grumbled. A detachment of Frey soldiers intercepted their little party before they were admitted into Riverrun proper. "Who are you, and what's your business in Riverrun?" A weasel-faced skinny sergeant asked. Bronn gave answer. "Ser Bronn and Lady Lollys from Stokeworth, replying to Lord Emmon's summons." he said. Landyn noticed he used quite a different inflection between talking to himself or Murrand and talking to these Frey men. The sergeant's nose twitched. "Bloody fuck, we were betting how few men would actually show up. You lot just won me three dragons and a bag of stags!" he exclaimed, smiling widely. "What's your name, sergeant?" "I am Raymond Rivers ser, a Frey great-grandbastard, like half of the Riverlands." "Well, get my lady and her maids settled and you'll get a second bag of stags." "As you command, ser." Rivers began ordering his footmen about as Riverrun's gate opened. Landyn could head Glimmer gasp at Riverrun's size, a great deal larger than Stokeworth. In the courtyard, he could see dozens of Frey soldiers training at arms, gambling, drinking, and generally standing around, taking up space. For all their nonchalance though, they were well armed and well armored. Evidently, Lord Emmon Frey only felt safe when he had both a massive army and a massive castle to hide behind.

"Lord Emmon and Lady Genna have not yet risen, I'm sure they'll be most pleased by your arrival." said Rivers as their baggage was sorted and put in its proper place. Lollys, her infant, Glimmer and the Stokeworth maids had already claimed a corner tower and begun unpacking. The Stokeworth soldiers, Bronn's sellswords, mingled with the Frey men, and Landyn found himself dicing with an archer and two footmen, listening carefully. "Word has it Ser Brynden's River Kings are nearly ready to take Riverrun back." The archer said. "For who? His nephew Edmure is on his way to the Rock under guard, as are his pregnant Frey wife and the Young Wolf's former in-laws. Is the Blackfish going to try to take it in his own name?" asked Landyn. "Not a chance. He's a knight, not a lord, that kind of leadership isn't in him- but if Lord Emmon thinks _commanding _the commoners to divulge the River Kings' location is going to work, that pointed head of his is emptier than I thought. These are Tully lands, and no Frey will sleep here soundly no matter what King Tommen's council decrees." said one of the footmen, rolling double sixes and winning half a stag.

After losing a pretty bit of coin but getting an earful of the men's suspicions, Landyn got up and found the rat having a drinking contest with a Frey knight's squire. He chuckled when the rat opened his mouth and crossed his eyes at the other boy, causing him to spit out his ale over the side of the table while the other squires showed a mix of delight and unsettlement at the sight of the rat's tongueless mouth. "Come on, you." Landyn tapped him on the shoulder. The mute followed him into the castle's maze of hallways, arriving at Lady Lollys' chamber door. Landyn knocked, somewhat apprehensively. The door flew open, and an incredibly square-bodied woman taller than he was nearly knocked him over with a punch to the shoulder. "So you're the Reachman who brought my supposed grandniece to me, eh? Hmm, well, you're not some mincing fuzz-cheeked dandy as I've been told the men of the Reach are." Genna Lannister said, her voice a powerful baritone. Her eyes found the mute standing behind Landyn. "Since when were rats so big- or clean? I don't myself appreciate clean rats; they think a change of scent will change their nature. Rats aren't clean, they're filthy little vermin. Not that that's always a bad thing." she added with a wink. "The next maid who threatens you with a bath will empty my chamber pots for a week." The rat answered with a wide grin.

Lady Genna pulled Landyn inside, with the rat close behind him, before slamming the door again. "Well, I for one can't wait to see what you two have fished up for me. Like as not, you believed some yellow brick dust in a young septa's hair would make her pass for Lannister-" she abruptly stopped talking as Glimmer entered, void of her bottle-green road dress and now vested in a scarlet silk dress hemmed in gold thread, the bodice showing off the tops of her breasts and a bit of cleavage. Lady Genna walked straight to her, and put her hands on Glimmer's shoulders. "Were your grandfather alive, he'd have regretted treating Tyrion as he did. You are no less a Lannister than I am, and I am quite a lot of Lannister, as you can well see. What's your name, child?" "Glimmer, my lady- or should I call you Aunt?" she said, blushing and giggling with perfect timing, only making Lady Genna smile wider. "I don't suppose your companions would much object to a small feast in light of a brand-new Lannister being found, especially in the midst of this awful war?" The rat's ears pricked up instantly at the mention of food, and Landyn would appreciate a night of food and drink sorely. "No objections here, my lady." Landyn said. "Well, that's grand." She moved behind Glimmer and opened the door. "Now, if you two could find Emm and perhaps inform the soldiers that they'll be getting their first decent meal since the war started, I would be most appreciative. My grandniece and I have family matters to discuss."

Wandering around Riverrun looking for its new lord proved to be a bit more challenging than Landyn would have thought. There were lots of soldiers in the halls, so he had to slide between crowds ever dozen steps. Eventually, he found Lord Emmon in the solar, supervising a change of decoration. House Tully's trout banners were being taken down and replaced with the towers of House Frey. "My lord, I am Landyn Greene, here to inform you that Lady Genna has decided a feast should be held." He said, bowing. Emmon Frey was a tiny man, bald, with the ratty face common to the Freys. "What!? Whatever for? We need that food to resist a siege, should it come!" Landyn shrugged. "Lady Genna was overjoyed with the emergence of the Imp's daughter. She thought a feast was warranted to welcome her into the family." "The Imp was married to Sansa Stark for barely a half-year. As I recall, Stark had no children." "He was married previously, for a short time many years ago." Emmon Frey wrinkled his nose. "Most like, some Lannisport sailor's daughter thought to make a fool of me by insisting on a feast in her honor. I will look upon this girl myself and decide whether a feast is warranted." "As my lord commands." Landyn said, inwardly frowned and smiled all at once. Genna Lannister must've weighed at least twice as much as her husband, and towered over Landyn, who stood of average height. Meanwhile, Emmon Frey's eyes only met his collarbone, and may have been Landyn's weight forty years ago. Now in his early sixties, short, thin, with a wife wholly more suited for lordly duties than he, Emmon Frey was more or less the joke of Westeros. "Also, Ser Bronn and Lady Lollys have arrived; I was part of their entourage." Landyn informed the lord as he left the solar.

He returned to the yard, where he found Ser Raymond chatting up a kitchen wench half his age watching the soldiers train. "Sweetling, go back to the kitchens. There's to be a feast tonight, they'll need everyone." Landyn told her. She rushed off, looking glad for an excuse to get away from Ser Raymond. The knight whirled on him. "What the fuck are-" he began, before Landyn's words to the maid registered. "A feast, eh? I could use one of those." he said, taking a breath. "Also, have you seen Ser Bronn or Lady Lollys?" "They've been given their own tower, Lady Genna's orders." Landyn nodded, thanked him, and soon found himself knocking on a door with Bronn's burning chain sigil on it. "Enter." said Murrand from behind the door. Landyn opened it to reveal Murrand and a few of the sellswords dicing, while Ser Bronn enjoyed a flagon of red wine. "Oi, don't get too drunk on crimson piss. There will be Arbor gold and proper wine at the feast tonight." he told Bronn, who belched at him in response. "How did your shiny girl fare?" "Lady Genna's quite taken with her grandniece; I think we should get accustomed to calling her Lady Glimmer from now on." Landyn said, leaving the most important part unsaid. _They bought it_. Bronn grinned and nodded, and raised his flagon, inciting his cutthroats to do the same. "To Glimmer Lannister!"

Apparently, Lord Emmon either bought Glimmer's claim or was too afraid of his wife to raise an objection. Having never been to a feast before (he was only a stablehand from the Reach, after all) Landyn soon discovered the worst thing about them was finding a place to sit among all the food, cups, and guests. Lord Emmon and Lady Genna were at the high table, of course, the man nibbling at his plate and taking small cups of lemonwine at a time, the woman demolishing a whole chicken and gulping down a deep red vintage a half-flagon at a time. Next to Lady Genna, Glimmer was sampling everything put in front of her. To a watching lord or lady, Glimmer was just becoming acquainted with the food and drink that wealth and high birth could provide. Landyn knew she was really figuring out how to eat each dish and which ones she liked and didn't. Beneath them, Ser Bronn and Lady Lollys sat together. Landyn noticed Bronn seemed curiously content with the wife given him by the Lannisters, and Lollys didn't seem to much mind that Bronn was lowborn scum upjumped for his ability to murder. Once he considered it, Landyn supposed all noble families everywhere were only so because an ancestor of theirs had an ability to murder. In a corner, Ser Raymond was laughing so hard at something the kitchen wench said, he couldn't have been faking. He finally found a spot next to the rat near the back of the hall, far away from Glimmer. He saw her search the room from the high table for him and for the rat, but Lady Genna kept telling her things and Glimmer's attention was mostly on her. After a few hours, even the ravenous rat stopped eating, and fell asleep at the small table they shared with a few Frey soldiers. Landyn groaned, got up, bid the men goodnight, and carried the rat out of the hall, setting him in the tiny bed next to his own in their room before collapsing himself.

He was awoken by Bronn flipping him out of bed, a raven's message in hand. Cursing, and with a hangover that could make a giant weep, Landyn stood and leaned against a dresser. "What's gone wrong now?" he mumbled, as the rat peeked out from under the bed he'd been given. "Edmure Tully has escaped from Ser Daven Lannister's column heading towards the Rock, as have his Frey wife and the Young Wolf's family-in-law, the Westerlings, all of them." Landyn blinked slowly, and then realized the weight of Bronn's words. "The River Kings." "I don't know, maybe the Others did it, or perhaps the Children of the Forest. Of course the Blackfish was behind this, fool! And now he's got his nephew and niece-in-law back, as well as all the Westerlings. Ser Raynald Westerling, who disappeared during the Red Wedding and was thought dead, slew Ser Daven in single combat. In addition, it's been going around that the River Queen is actually one of the Stark children's direwolf pup lost on the journey south. According to the survivors' accounts, her wolf pack drove Daven's detachment into the Fork, where the Kings sprang out of the river and ambushed the westermen. Now that the Blackfish can count a pack of wolves that runs in the thousands among his allies, as well as the Westerlings and Lady Stoneheart's Brotherhood without Banners remnants, we can expect an attempt to retake Riverrun for House Tully at any time. Lord Emmon is beside himself, torn between putting Riverrun to the torch and scurrying back to hide under the Rock, and keeping whatever manhood he hides in those britches and standing against this Tully tide." Landyn was dismayed. "We have to get Glimmer out of here." "More likely than not, Lady Genna will bull over whatever her husband says to the contrary, burn the castle to the ground, and take this whole Frey army west to Casterly Rock- she's protecting her grandniece and the Rock's Lady, after all."

_Ser Brynden could not have picked a better time_. Landyn thought, watching a castle full of hung over Freys enact a total farce at readying Riverrun's defenses. There was no man alive more suited to a siege on Riverrun than the Blackfish, who was born and raised there, and knew the castle better than most men knew their wives. Not that it would be much of a siege. Most likely, the River Kings would simply swim through the maze of underwater grates that only Ser Brynden knew how to navigate, and take the castle while the Freys tried to blink last night's wine out of their eyes. He found himself outside Lady Genna's room, knocking on the door. It was opened by Ser Raymond's kitchen girl, who looked decidedly unconcerned. Girls like her were born in castles like Riverrun all over Westeros. Whenever a new lord ousted the old, or rather, the old lord ousted a new, the common folk who maintained the castle, the chambermaids and stablehands kept right on with their daily tasks. New colors on a castle's walls meant nothing to them. Lady Genna had a group of Frey knights and sergeants around her, telling them that the evacuation of Riverrun would need to be well-organized and disciplined to avoid the army being smashed by Ser Brynden as soon as they were outside Riverrun's walls. _She's lordlier than her husband_, Landyn thought, as even Bronn's sellswords seemed to think Lady Genna's proposed course of action was best. "Reachman!" Lady Genna boomed, breaking him out of his reverie. "My lady?" "Go to the stables and make sure those Frey fools don't maim a horse in their hurry to get out of here, keep them focused and on task."

Just as he got into the yard, Landyn felt a cold drop hit his cheek. _Oh, not now_. He made it to the stables, finding the boys the Frey knights brought with them rather efficiently bridling and preparing the horses for a long, cold, wet march back to the Rock. "No chance of torching this fishy castle now, eh?" called one of the older boys, as the dam burst and the rain came down in barrelfuls, accompanied by a peppering of snow. "Just keep them calm and ready to leave, Lord Emmon and the others should be down any minute." Landyn replied, almost shouting over the racket the rain was making. Instead of unnerving the lads, the noise seemed to excite them, as chaos was wont to invigorate young men. Landyn went back outside and was soaked through almost immediately. "A merry siege we'll have in this!" bellowed Ser Raymond, passing him. "Oi, you're the Reachman! Ser Bronn wants you to report to him; I'll go with you, nobody's catching any trout in this deluge!" Together, they staggered back to Bronn's apartments, finding him and his lads arming. "What are you doing, Lady Genna says we're leaving?" "Nobody's going anywhere. This storm put an end to any thought of torching Riverrun. The fat old harridan's given orders to close the gates, ready weapons, and keep dry. The Blackfish could be pissing against the gate right now; we'd never see or hear him." Bronn said grimly, as he put on his scabbard. In the hall behind them, Ser Raymond pulled his gloves off and wrung them out. "I've never fought rain before." he complained.

"Where are the ladies?" Landyn asked Bronn. "Don't worry about Gl- _Lady_ Glimmer. She's with Genna and Lollys and the other highborn girls in Genna's tower, along with your mute." Unexpectedly, he started laughing. "Although I bet "Lord" Emmon wishes he could put on a dress and hide with the girls rather than run a siege defense against the Blackfish." "Perhaps we should get Lady Genna in mail and hand her a nice warhammer." Landyn suggested, sniggering. "Hmm, well, isn't that an idea?" boomed the lady from behind him. Whirling, Landyn made to apologize, but was stunned into silence by the sight of Lady Genna and Glimmer clutching longbows and wearing leather jerkins and hose. The rat stood to the side, a dagger in each hand. "I'm too old and fat to work a warhammer, but any twit can shoot a bow." she said. "My lady, there's no way-" "I'm twice your size, boy. Just because I can't swing a warhammer doesn't mean I can't pitch you off the ramparts and into the Fork with one arm." She turned around and strode off towards the forward battlements, leaving Glimmer alone with Landyn and the rat. "Don't worry; I know you're all super protective of women here, and me shooting a bow must just rub you the wrong way-" Landyn kissed her on the mouth. "Don't miss." he said, before joining Bronn and his sellswords, heading to the gate, followed by a gaping rat.

At first, Landyn thought he was just hearing things in the roar of the rain, but the mute nudged his side when he heard it again. "Wolves." he said aloud, warning the mixed sellsword-Frey mass staring at the gate. A second later, he amended his warning. "Wolves and men." The men clutched their weapons, and one man made a jape about getting rich as a fur trader before an arrow took him in the back. A horrific wordless gurgle came from the rat, who pointed at the small portion of the Fork that ran under and through Riverrun. Realizing what was meant, the world seemed to slow before Landyn's eyes. As if from the river itself, man after man after man simply slipped from the black water, charging them. He heard Bronn call them sons of whores before everything sped up, and he found himself parrying one of the River Kings' crazed spear thrusts. Landyn tackled the man off-balance and put a knife in his eye. He tossed the outlaw aside and cut another man's legs out from under him, letting Murrand bury his sword in the man's belly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a River King dive off the steps to the battlements and onto the gate mechanism. Slowly, the great wooden gate began to rise, until an arrow between the shoulder blades took the man off the mechanism and into the melee below. Fighting his way up the stairs to the small platform, he saw Glimmer through a window, sending arrows calmly at trout jerkins. A scream from below made him look down, just as a knight with a seashell on his breastplate took Ser Raymond's arm off at the elbow before kneeing him in the face and tossing him aside. The knight's footmen forced through the mass of Freys at the bottom of the stairs, and Landyn saw Bronn and a bleeding Murrand lead a hasty retreat backwards into the castle. _Sellsword bastard_, Landyn swore, before the seashell knight knocked him backwards off the platform into the muddy mess of yard twenty feet below. He moaned and rolled over to see the knight turn the mechanism with one of the River Kings, opening the gate. "The King in the North!" bellowed the outlaws within. Through the haze, he could see an endless horde of gray-furred bodies and gleaming swords charge Riverrun's gate, the men among them answering: "_THE KING IN THE NORTH!_"

He woke up with such a bad back it almost made him pass out again. He was lying in a bed of straw, in a dimly lit cave. He moved to sit up, but a low growling from the darkness made him stop. A wolf with a long deep cut along his face loped out of the shadows. "Oh no, not you." Landyn moaned. The wolf gave a yip, and a man in the outlaws' garb came into the light. "You're awake. Good, they want answers." he remarked, as a few other outlaws carried Landyn through a maze of low tunnels into a bigger cave "room", packed with various men, captives and conquerors both, as well as dozens of wolves. The seashell knight was in leathers this time, and seemed to be in charge of the captives in the room. The fact that he wasn't wearing armor told Landyn some time had passed since the battle. Seeing Landyn stir, the knight strode over. "Ser Raynald Westerling." he mumbled. "And you are Ser Landyn Greene, although I must confess to knowing nothing of you, or your house." _Ser? _"How hard was I hit?" Landyn asked, dazed. "We were ready to leave you to the wolves, but Lady Genna insisted you were a knight from the Reach, bringing her grandniece to Riverrun in the guise of a septa. She said you had no part in the war before the battle, and were guilty of no affiliation with the Lannisters, only of having a sweet spot for a pretty girl." Ser Raynald said, with a look on his face that said he cared not a fig. "The Blackfish wants to see you, so get up, ser." Landyn shakily rose and teetered after Ser Raynald, who led him outside into a low copse of trees, in which an older man with graying hair and a black fish on his jerkin stood talking to a seated silent sister.

Ser Brynden Tully was in his twilight, and was thought by many to have vanished after the Freys took Riverrun from him- apparently not so. The sister turned her head, and Landyn got a bad shock. Her hair was brittle white and deep lines down her cheeks ruined what was once probably a comely face. The flesh was pale, like foul milk, although her eyes burned with tiny red pinpricks, suggesting more life than all the rest of her face combined. "My niece, Lady Catelyn Stark, killed at the Red Wedding," said the Blackfish evenly, "although Lord Beric patched that up in his own way. She goes by Stoneheart now, but she's still Catelyn all the same." The woman rose and came towards Landyn and poked him. She opened her mouth and an awful choked gurgle came out. "She asks how and why a knight of the Reach came to be at Riverrun with the host of Emmon Frey." Blackfish supplied. "I...left Highgarden with Lord Mace Tyrell's host to relieve King's Landing from Stannis' siege. I became a gold cloak of sorts to earn my keep, and did that for a little less than a year before I… before a septa named Glimmer crossed my path. She was begging food to feed a mute child, and he ended up coming north with us- I suppose he died in the battle. I wanted to get her sanctuary at Stokeworth, as the Imp's former sellsword Bronn had since become a knight at been granted the castle. Ser Bronn believed that Queen Cersei would send a detachment of gold cloaks after him, so we answered a summons to help reinforce Riverrun against you, ser…and to bring Glimmer to Genna Lannister, who rightly suspected who she really was." Landyn said. It didn't matter who he told, everyone involved was likely dead by now. "That septa truly was a Lannister?" the Blackfish seemed surprised. "I thought that was just a lie she concocted." "The Imp's daughter with a common girl, conceived during their one night of marriage." Landyn said.

"Did you happen to leave anyone alive, my lady?" he asked the revenant, who did not answer. "The Frey garrison was near obliterated. The sellswords offered merely to switch sides, as two-faced bastards are wont to do." "Any highborn survivors?" "Why should I tell you, boy?" "I just wanted to see if she made it, is all." Stoneheart gave another dry rasp, and Landyn was taken to a great wooden pen, full of a myriad of different captives. The River Kings' gaoler stuck him next to a sleeping gangly youth. Wincing with the pain of his aching back, he leaned up against the wooden fence, devastated. Across the pen, the long-armed young man twitched in his sleep, and muttered incoherently. Over the next few hours, a cripple, a gravely wounded knight, the biggest woman he'd ever seen (including Lady Genna) and a dark-haired squire were added to the pen, making it a bit cramped. With all the activity, the other boy woke up. "Where'd all you come from?" he said blearily. He straightened up immediately at the sight of the cripple. _What's this about?_ Landyn wondered, before the boy spoke. "You're from 1!" he whispered excitedly. Landyn froze. "Oi, skinny. Over here." he muttered to the boy. "Did you say 1…as in… Derstict 1?" The boy looked so relieved, it made Landyn want to laugh. "Don't panic, don't react. D'you know Glim-" "_Glimmer!_" the boy hissed, edging forward. "Of course I do, we were District partners together! Is she okay?" All throughout this, the cripple and his party watched silently, only half-paying attention. "Keep it down! I don't know, I got knocked out before the battle really started. Who are you, anyway?" "I'm Marvel Symphon, but everyone insists on me being the bastard of some Lannister or other." At this, the cripple picked his head up. "Excuse me, but if anyone in my family had a child as gangly as you, I think I'd know- Jaime Lannister, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and, as of last night, professional prisoner of the Tully family. I wonder if Edmure and I will simply switch places until one of us gets killed?" he laughed dryly.

Landyn's eyes popped. "Ser Jaime? How were you-" "We were at a tiny village, Pennytree, when the outlaw bastards and their furry friends surrounded the town. Almost as soon as she laid eyes on him, the River Queen threw herself at my silent companion, Ser Ilyn Payne, and tore him into bits. The rest of us knew better than to resist. The brave knight at death's door next to me is Ser Hyle Hunt, my fair lady is Brienne of Tarth, and this…odd boy of circumstance is her squire, Podrick Payne." Marvel squirmed. "Who cares? I'm not totally insane! Uh oh, does that mean all this is real?" he asked. "I would hazard so." Ser Jaime replied, casually sliding his right wrist cuff on and off of his handless arm. "I do believe I'm the first to vex Lady Catelyn in her unfortunate state. When we were captured, some idiot clapped me in irons, despite the ineffectiveness of such an action. I raised my arm to Catelyn and started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Now, I don't suppose either of you has a dashing escape plan? I've only just managed to get out from under the Kingslayer rock; it would be a shame to end all this fun so soon after starting." "How would we escape? Those outlaws have guards on this stockade, the cave entrances, and scouts and foragers all around the countryside." Marvel asked. "Riverrun is stronger than any cave. If we don't get away before they haul us to the dungeons, we're not getting away." said Ser Jaime serenely. "I'm in no shape to make a dashing escape, anyway." said Ser Hyle. The woman just looked dumbstruck. "Lady Catelyn… her throat…her _face_…" "Yes, yes, Lady Catelyn has come back as some horrific undead monstrosity and, here's a surprise, holds a grudge against me for not being able to hold a grudge against me for having actually done something to offend her. What else is new?" "I think the revenant part of is pretty interesting." piped up the squire, Podrick. "_Thank _you, Pod. It _is _interesting. It should make a good song one day." Ser Jaime replied.

Eventually, Ser Jaime was dragged away for another interrogation session with Stoneheart and the Blackfish. The guard on their stockade seemed to come and go with him. Once the last gaoler had gone from sight, Pod spoke. "I have a plan. I think it's pretty good, at least it _should _work-" "We're being held captive by a band of outlaws, rogue noble families, and a massive pack of wolves. I think any plan would be an improvement on this." Marvel snapped. "Well, the only part I can't work out is how we'll actually get _out _of this wooden pen." Ser Hyle moaned both in exasperation and pain. "Quiet, Hyle. At least Pod has something." said Brienne, frowning. "So what you're saying is, if we can manage to get out of this cage, we'll get away without a hint to our captors?" asked Landyn. "I…yes, and the wolves won't be able to track our scent." The gaolers returned, and tossed Ser Jaime back into the stockade with healthy force. "Well, I can't quite see what escaping would even get done for us." he said, spitting out a mouthful of dirt as Brienne straightened him up. "The River Kings have taken Riverrun, as we all knew, but their power grows every day. They'll move on the Twins soon. Speaking of Freys, Lord Emmon was killed trying to break into his wife's room. Supposedly, he was going to disguise himself as an old crone. Lady Genna and her entourage are under house arrest in Riverrun, they'll fetch a good deal of gold from the Lannisters at Casterly Rock. Anyway, these outlaws and rebels hold sway over nearly all of the Riverlands, up to the Neck- which, as anyone knows, is infested with crannogmen. In fact, the Frey army led by Lord Edwyn was pushed into the Neck by the River Queen's furry friends, and the crannogmen smashed them inside a week. The survivors huddle inside the Twins, waiting for Stoneheart and the Blackfish- so much for House Frey coming out on top. Most likely, the Westerlings will stay behind at Riverrun with Lord Edmure and Lady Roslin." "Pod has an escape plan." said Brienne.

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard, ever." Ser Jaime said. "Of course, there's nothing for it but to do it and perfectly." Landyn could barely believe his ears. Pod wanted to take two of the rowboats, flip them over, and walk underneath them into the Fork. "We need to rescue Glimmer." said Landyn, earning an enthusiastic nod from Marvel. "We'd never make it out of Riverrun once we got in. Not that we'll even get that far, what with being stuck in this cage and all." Ser Jaime replied. As if in answer, the rat appeared from behind a rock. "Who the hell is that?" groaned Ser Hyle. "My squire. I do believe I'm the only man to be raised to knight while unconscious." said Landyn, while Ser Jaime roared with laughter. Even Brienne looked torn between anxiety and amusement. The rat darted over, smiling wide, and opened the stockade. When Ser Hyle tried to rise, he gave a gasp and a curse. "It's no good. Go on, I'll tell them you'll pay my ransom later." he said ruefully. Brienne gave him a long look, then Pod pulled her towards the boats, followed by a still-chuckling Ser Jaime and Marvel, Landyn and the rat bringing up the rear. "It will be my lady, Ser Jaime, and myself in one boat, Ser Landyn, Marvel, and…Rat in another. Each boat's small person goes in the middle." The next few minutes were a mummer's farce of tumbling, tripping, and sliding off the two rowboats, before they got them the way they wanted. Landyn noticed the sleeping guards seemed very averse to waking up. "What did you spike their drinks with?" Landyn asked the rat, who held up Glimmer's black-pearl ring and his fingers nearly together. "Good man. Now hold onto the edges while we lift." Feeling unimaginably stupid, Landyn led the first boat into the Fork, with Marvel taking up the rear.

"This. Is. So. Funny." Marvel said once they reached the river bottom, the rat's tongue between his teeth as he struggled to stay above the water. "How do we know the others are behind us?" he asked. "Go under, take a look around." Landyn told the rat, who ducked his head under, came back up, and nodded. "When will they realize we're gone?" Marvel asked. "Hopefully, after we're already heading up the Fork with Glimmer in tow." Landyn replied, nearly tripping over a rock. Podrick Payne's head surfaced in their boat. "Only a few more feet, we'll start going up." Sure enough, the incline steepened as they went, until Landyn's calves were cramping. He heard the boat break the water's surface. "Quick and quiet…" he whispered. Moments later, the other boat surfaced, with Podrick looking stunned. "I had no idea that would work!" "You said you were certain." said Marvel. "I heard two drunken River Kings talking about it; I never thought it was actually possible!" "Pod, the next time you have us do something that mad, tell us where you heard it first." said Ser Jaime, pulling Brienne out of the fork. Landyn realized they were almost exactly where the River Kings had emerged during the battle, only now the castle slept, and the few guards around seemed very inclined to keep sleeping, as their brethren were. "Right, so the highborn women are in Lady Genna's chambers?" Landyn asked nobody in particular. "So I heard. It's truly too bad, I'd love to see the look on Lady Catelyn's face when she hears of our escape." He began heading up one of the yard stairways into the castle, followed by the rest. "Um, does your pet rat perchance know where to go? I'm not all that familiar with Riverrun's interior." In response, the mute led them down a slightly cramped hallway, up two more sets of stairs and straight to the lady's chamber- guarded by eight River Kings. "Hmm. Well, we're fucked." Ser Jaime sighed. "Oh, no we're not!" said Lady Brienne stubbornly. "Lady Catelyn once told me of a hidden passage behind a painting in that chamber, it comes out by the kitchens. Likely, those men don't know about it and naturally the Blackfish won't set men to guarding a blank wall, or they would give the passage away." "To the kitchens, then." declared Landyn. "Good, I'm starving." said Marvel.

Fortuitously, the gangly youth was able to grab a spear from the small armory off the kitchens, and a bun within it. "Dam, vif if good bwed." he mumbled through a mouthful of dough. Lady Brienne dexterously eased the canvas away from a portion of wall and gave it a slight push, revealing a dank crawlspace. "Tully prisoners escaping a Tully camp, using a Tully passage to rescue Tully captives from the Tully castle. Whether or not we actually get away is a moot point now, the Blackfish will look an utter idiot as long as he lives, as will Lady Catelyn and Lord Edmure." said Ser Jaime happily, with a reproachful look from Brienne. The journey up the crawlspace was more than a little harrying, but they managed to work the other end open, and struggle through it. Just as Landyn extricated himself from the tunnel, he heard a dismayed gasp come from across the room. Surprised, he turned and saw a small young woman, heavy with child, in the bed. Normally, he would have described her as very pretty, but under the circumstances she looked terrified. Ser Jaime got out of the tunnel next, and stared around. "I thought you said this leads to the lady's chamb- oh, _fuck_." he moaned, matching Landyn's train of thought near exactly. As soon as the outlaws took Riverrun, likely the first thing they did was shuffle the Lannister women out of the lady's chamber and install Roslin Frey within it, as being Lord Edmure's wife, _she_ was now lady of Riverrun. "Bloody balls beaten black and blue." hissed Ser Jaime as Lady Brienne poked her head out into the chamber. "Ah, well this is unfortunate." she commented. The crippled Kingsguard turned to Roslin. "My lady, do you perchance know where my aunt and her companions were taken?" The young woman paled. "Yes, but I won't tell you." she said, drawing her tiny gravid form up. For some reason, Ser Jaime burst out laughing. "Lady Roslin, you have more steel in you than all the buffoon offspring Lord Walder sent to take this castle and then some." he said. "When you have your baby, what will you name it?" he asked, while the others hurried back down the passage. "Edmure says Robb for a boy, and Catelyn for a girl." she sniffled, watching Ser Jaime follow the others down the crawlspace.

"This truly is awful. How did you little birds stand crawling up and down the Tower of the Hand, leeching secrets for Varys?" grumbled Landyn as they groped through the darkness. Suddenly, they heard Marvel give a yelp. "Hey! We haven't rescued Glimmer yet!" "No need to alarm the poor soul on the other side of the stone, wondering why the wall is conversing with itself. Likely, she was stuck in the dungeons with the others; we'll just have to get her out." said Ser Jaime. Once they made it back to the kitchens, noticeably dirtier, Ser Jaime outlined the dungeons. "Likely, there will be guards on the lot of them, perhaps wolves besides. If there are, we're dead. Their noses will catch wind of us and raise alarm before we realized we've been compromised." The rat shook his head in answer, holding up Glimmer's black pearl ring. At the entrance to the cells, he went ahead into the darkness, wolves' snarls and men's whispered curses notwithstanding. After a few moments, the noises stopped and he emerged, handing a torch to Landyn. He plunged down the short stairway and found all the Lannister and Frey women in a single monstrous cell. "Er, cleaning day?" he said awkwardly. At the center of the huddle sat Lady Genna and Glimmer, with Lady Lollys dozing in corner. Immediately, Ser Jaime stepped up to the bars for a look at his supposed niece, while Glimmer squealed with glee at the sight of Marvel, which made Landyn's gut wrench. "Cersei, only more beautiful." he said in an awed voice. "Yes, well, no doubt the sellswords will be wondering what's taking so long." barked Lady Genna, to Landyn's confusion. "Ser Bronn and Murrand and the others never switched sides, they were waiting for precisely this opportunity." whispered Glimmer, to Landyn's astonishment. "As soon as Bronn got wind of where we were, he sent the rat down to check on Lollys and me. I gave him my black pearl ring to knock out any guards he came across, and sent him to free you- and you found Marvel!" she said ecstatically, as Pod undid the cell's lock with one of Lady Genna's hairpins. "How in balls did you learn to do that?" asked Ser Jaime, amazed. "Lord Tyrion taught me." Pod responded. "The sellswords are waiting to escort Lady Genna and Lollys and the rest back to Casterly Rock, along with you lot." Glimmer said. "They're on the Fork with a Frey barge Lord Walder was using to supply his armies."

The boat, in truth, looked barely able to stay above water. "That's the point. Congratulations on surviving, by the way." said Bronn when Landyn commented thus on the barge's state. "Sellswords recuing highborn maidens from an anointed knight- won't this make a pretty song one day?" cackled Murrand once the freed captives were safely below deck. Pod and Brienne had taken a cabin to themselves, as had Lady Genna and Glimmer. "Not that I don't trust you baseborn churls with the Lady of Casterly Rock, but I think perhaps she's safest out of sight." Lady Genna called loudly, to a chorus of laughter and answering japes from the men working the ropes and sail. "Perhaps I'll be a professional escapist in addition to my illustrious career in Tully chains. I wonder what the singers will say should I somehow winkle my cherished sister out of the Faith's wrinkled hands." mused Ser Jaime as the boat left the dock, with Marvel sharpening his spear and Landyn wondering what was in Glimmer's black pearl ring accompanying the crippled Kingsguard on the first watch. "Where are we going now?" Marvel asked, spinning the spear in an arc. "Well, we'll head up the Tumblestone and land near Ashemark, seat of House Marbrand. The Young Wolf took it early in the war; I suppose we'll find out if the westermen have reclaimed it when we arrive." Ser Jaime responded, staring at his stump. "I wonder what will become of my golden hand. The outlaws will probably melt it down. A pity- the goldsmith who made it deserved a king's ransom, the thing _was_ finely crafted- if only a hunk of useless metal." he went below, leaving Landyn alone with Marvel, the boy from District 1.

"Okay, so, I know this is a really shitty time for all of you guys, what with this war and all, but, could someone tell me how the fuck Glimmer and I apparently stepped into another world?" Marvel said, venting when he was sure Landyn was the only one listening, along with the rat in the crow's nest. It turned out he could see almost flawlessly in the dark, so they'd stashed him up there to watch for pursuing ships. "Not that I'm complaining. All this got us out of a pretty tight situation actually, and I'm finding myself perfectly fine with stealing hot women from asshole outlaws, and their prig lords. That pregnant girl seemed okay though." he said. "What was District 1 like?" Landyn asked this boy, this Marvel, who shared Glimmer's mysterious homeland. "Does it matter? I'm not like to go back anytime soon, and with an objective eye, it kind of really, _really_, sucked. When I left Panem, I was getting ready to fight twenty-three other kinds to the death. When I woke up, that crazy crippled guy had a topless girl on his shoulders, a topless girl on _her _shoulders, and a keg of wine in each hand- surrounded by wolves and calmly negotiating with that silver-haired old guy, that Blackfish. I was laughing so hard I almost passed out, and I wasn't in this Westeros thirty seconds. I had more fun in a half-minute of Westeros life than I had in seventeen years of Panem's Career Academy. Granted, from what I've seen the guys in charge here are a bit of a crapshoot, but at least Brynden Tully knew what he was doing. Anyway, I'm kind of curious to see if this whole plan works." "Are you and Glimmer, together?" Landyn asked, feeling ridiculously foolish. Marvel blinked, and then his eyes narrowed. "She's not the girl you think she is. She's a Career, like me. Had this crazy shit not happened, she'd have killed two or three innocent kids for the fun of it by now, at least. Besides, you're not her type, nor do you want Cato's leftovers. She was all over him with her flirting and breast-bumps, I guarantee they've screwed at least once, and Cato could've kicked you through a brick wall." "She mentioned him I think, right when I found her." Landyn said. "He was six inches taller than you, must've weighed thirty or forty pounds more, all muscle, and was crazy. Not Clove crazy, but crazy. Anyway, long story short, don't get too besotted with Glimmer. Treat her like you would a poisonous snake."

Marvel's tirade left Landyn more than a little stunned. Was that what he'd wished for? "How do I know you're trustworthy?" "I said nothing of trusting. I'm telling the truth, it's your funeral if you decide to ignore it- or if you close your eyes to it." With that, he went below, most like to get away from Landyn. The rat came down from the crow's nest and took Marvel's place on the deck. "I think he was telling the truth." The rat nodded, his eyes big and filled with tears. "Oh, settle down." Landyn said, trying not to let his own dismay show and upset the boy further. "She saved that farmer and his daughter, didn't she? It doesn't matter who or what she was before she came to us- from here on out, she's Septa Glimmer or Glimmer Lannister." The rat gave him a hug. "Maybe once we get to the Rock, you can be her Master of Whisperers." The rat gave a smile and hurried back up into the crow's nest, leaving Landyn alone with the mess of thoughts and emotions within him. "So what if she isn't perfect?" he wondered aloud. "She's as close as you'll get to your stupid boyhood dreams, and besides, who will protect her if not me?" A soft cough announced Glimmer's presence on the deck. "Marvel just chewed me out for "toying" with you." she said. Landyn didn't answer. "I promised you on the way to Stokeworth that I'd tell you what I came from." He turned to her, and the rat poked his head out from the crow's nest. She sat down on a barrel, twirling the black pearl ring in her fingers. "I don't know much of anything regarding how Panem came to be Panem, all I know is it's probably smaller than these Seven Kingdoms I keep hearing about, and certainly smaller than the whole of Westeros. There were thirteen districts and the Capitol, the center of the country. Only, the Capitol reaped all the benefits of the districts' labor, and tyrannized them at every turn. So, the districts rebelled. At the turning point, the Capitol made Districts 1 and 2 an offer. "Join us, and we will treat you as our own." they promised. So the first two districts switched sides at the critical moment and the rebel forces were thrown into disarray. Soon after, they were defeated completely, and District 13 obliterated. The rest of the districts were forced to send a boy and girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to the Capitol in a great show of its' total control over the districts- they made a show of it, the Hunger Games. At the end, all twenty-four of the children are put in an arena to fight to the death. The winner got lots of food and money, and a slight boon to his or her own district as well. Our year, me and Marvel, was the seventy-fourth year. As they promised, the Capitol showed favor to Districts 1 and 2… by making us their pets, their amusement, instead of outright oppressing us like they do the other ten." Glimmer said.

"So…you were bred and raised to die in some pit?" asked Landyn numbly. "Yes. In Districts 1 and 2, it's made out to be a great honor to participate in the Games…I wanted to be Cashmere so bad it hurt, but being so hated by all the rest, all the other districts, made me sick almost every night. There was a wall of hatred, fear, and pain a thousand feet high severing us from the rest of Panem. I told myself their side didn't matter…but I knew the whole thing wasn't right on some level." "Well…you're here now, Glimmer, and with people who perhaps care more about you than your real family did. At least to me, it's no great loss that you somehow ended up in that well instead of participating in those Hunger Games." Glimmer hugged herself and sniffled. "I didn't "end up" there. My point of entry was, I think, chosen." "Someone put you in that well on purpose?" "Maybe not the well, but they were probably aiming for King's Landing. You might not realize it, but the world is massive- truly _massive_. The oceans are a deal larger and more than the areas of dry land- and even then, I could've ended up in some dark jungle or frozen mountain range thousands of miles from civilization. Instead, I ended up in one of the largest cities possible. The chances of that randomly occurring are negligible at best, Landyn. Someone put me there." "Well, thank the gods for that someone." he said, caring not a jot who that someone might be. "Oh, by the way, what happened before the siege at Riverrun?" she asked. "I apologize. You're going to be a Lannister from now on, it shouldn't happen again. I'm a footman from the Reach-"" "You're a _knight_ from the Reach-" "With no gold, land, or castle, and no ancient name. Forget what happened, Glimmer, it will only pain us both. Your new family will want you to marry as highly as possible, and you can most definitely do better than _Ser _Landyn Greene." Glimmer frowned. "Well, that sucks." "When we get you to the Rock, the offers will pour in. Lady Genna will dismiss two of every three out of hand. Most likely, they'll try for a match with Willas Tyrell, the crippled heir to Highgarden, a great castle like Casterly Rock." "I don't _want_ Willas Tyrell, heir to Highgarden." "Well, he'll no doubt want you." Landyn said.

When the sun came up, Landyn was relieved to see nobody on their tail. "The Blackfish is saving his strength for the assault on the Twins." Bronn said, coming up for air. "Lord Tywin's sister, a half-dozen lesser Lannister ladies and a brace of their gently-bred lady companions, the Kingslayer and the heir to the Rock aren't as important as petty revenge?" Landyn asked. "We'll be in the westerlands before long. The River Kings belong in the riverlands. If anything, we'll get an escort for the rest of the journey, not pursuers. I see your rat made it out of that Riverrun debacle. Who knew mute orphans were smarter soldiers than the sons of Walder Frey?" he said, laughing. "I hope we don't die." said Glimmer excitedly. "Ashemark should be in the hands of the Marbrands, but we should be cautious about announcing our presence." Landyn told him. The sellsword nodded and went back below to inform Lady Genna. "Will there be more of this when I'm actually at Casterly Rock? Just jumping from place to place? It's kind of fun!" "I walked you into a wolf pack, a siege, and had to rescue you from an army of outlaws. You call this fun?" Landyn asked, incredulous. "I'm not hurt or dead so yeah, it's very exciting! I don't want to just sit on some golden seat and tell people what to do all day. That sounds heartlessly boring." The rat clacked from above, his little mute laugh. "We may not even make it there, don't get too down on being Lady of the Rock." Landyn warned. "I guess. I like this way of living, though, running around annoying dangerous people." Despite himself, Landyn laughed. "You're so vivacious…" he remarked, making her smile. For the next few hours, Glimmer said nothing, only marveling at the landscape around them. It had snowed recently, a slight dusting, but was nevertheless markedly beautiful. From time to time, Bronn or the Kingslayer would come up to update them, but Marvel never reappeared. "I know it's not any of my business, but are you and Marvel-" "Noooooo. I didn't really know him before the Games, and learned very little. My whole angle was flirt with Cato so he wouldn't immediately kill me. He wasn't such a bad guy, either- nice and broad, but a little too attached to crazy Clove. Besides he'd have never got me out of so many tight spots." She gently kissed him on the cheek, before returning to her "aunt".

The Tumblestone ended abruptly, its tail end pooling in a small lake village. Bronn had the Frey barge dock at the least-flimsy collection of planks jutting out over the water, while the fisherfolk stared at its occupants. "Oi, who holds Ashemark?" Landyn called down to a young boy grubbing for clams. "Lord Marbrand, ser. The castle was taken from the Young Wolf's men days after the Red Wedding." Landyn flipped him a few coppers. The sellswords disembarked first, lest there be an outlaw ambush waiting for the noblewomen to recapture them. Lady Genna followed with her retinue, Glimmer at her side. Murrand and Pod set about gathering horses for the women, while the Kingslayer and Brienne argued over whether a cup of wine was half-empty or half-full. From what he could hear, Landyn rather suspected Jaime just enjoyed arguing with the lady Brienne, who was as stubborn as she was big. Once the crippled lion began laughing so hard he fell of his horse, the poor lady seemed to realize what was going on. Pod walked over to him after getting Lady Genna on her horse, which looked a bit uncomfortable with the woman's bulk. "Once we set off, the lady would like to speak with you." he said. "Alright, go see if Ser Bronn and his rogues need anything." The odd squire left him, and he mounted up and rode after the widowed Lady Frey. "Now, Glimmer tells me you're a good lad, with more than cheese between his ears and pebbles in his breeches. I wanted first to apologize for knighting you unknowingly. If I hadn't told those outlaws you were a knight, they'd have killed you." "No apology is necessary, my lady. Not only did your quick thinking save my life, I got to be a knight, if only for awhile." "Stuff and nonsense! This rotting realm could do with a few more starry-eyed true young men like you. Once we get to Ashemark, I'll knight you well and properly, and when we get to Casterly Rock, I'll have whoever's in charge there draw up the documents for your immediate acquisition of the ruins of Castamere. Tywin had it burned to the ground; it's funny to my mind that his sister would raise it up again. You can be Lord Landyn Greene, and your funny rat can eat all the cheese he can stomach."

Landyn was stunned. "Castamere is a ruin, and with winter on the way-" "Oh, worry not about winter. You can stay with us at the Rock until its warm enough to rebuild the castle. Were I you, I'd work on choosing a sigil- perhaps a well or a rowboat with legs?" Genna laughed as she rode on. Landyn immediately searched for the rat, who was busy looking for nuts. "Lady Genna is going to give me Castamere once we get Glimmer to the rest of her family." The rat's eyes went wide. "I know. That's a lot of confidence to have in someone's character." The mute shrugged and went back to his nut search. Eventually, Marvel ended up next to him on the journey to the Rock. "What are you so pleased about?" he asked Landyn. "I'm going to be knighted at Ashemark and raised again to lord once this business is finished." "Well, good for you, I guess. I'm kind of fuzzy on who's what around here." Marvel said, looking at his spear. "If you're half-decent with that, likely Lady Genna will knight you as well-" "I made it through one battle. You lugged Glimmer up from the capital, through a forest full of wolves and fought through a band of outlaws before both escaping and stealing her from her captors." Landyn frowned. "Well, if I manage to become a lord, I'll knight you myself, and you can be Castamere's master-at-arms." Marvel looked a bit happier at that. "That's like teaching people how to fight, right? I could do that ok." "Don't worry about whatever's on your mind. The River Kings are far behind us, and the land you came from may as well never have existed." "Yeah, you're right. I still say you should be on your toes around Glimmer, but I can say that the Hunger Games and Panem were just a bad dream. Follow you two around, teach kids how to fight, rinse and repeat. I think I could do that."

Seeing the burning tree sigil of the Marbrands on Ashemark's battlements, Landyn offered a silent prayer to the gods in thanks. The castle's occupants seemed even edgier than expected, and only when Jaime Lannister dismounted and waved his stump at the men on the ramparts did they open the gate. Out came an elderly lord with a mane of white hair, presumably Damon Marbrand. "Ser Jaime!" he called. "Did my son escape with you?" The Kingslayer's face fell. "I did not see him during the skirmish at Pennytree. Most likely, the River Kings took him captive." Marbrand looked stricken. "I see." "I believe they'd ransom him-" "That's what Stoneheart told Merret Frey about Petyr Pimple. He showed up at the appointed time with the gold, and they robbed him and hung him aside the other Freys. If I send a man with their gold, not only will I not get Addam back, I'll lose a man and a bag of dragons." After a few moments, Ser Jaime nodded. "As you say. I'm on my way back to the Rock, to drop my aunt and niece off with their ladies-in-waiting. If there are men enough, I'll send them to you, and leave it to you to break these River Kings. I must accompany Brienne of Tarth and young Podrick Payne to the Vale." Lord Marbrand shrugged. "Unless you've got a seasoned riverlands man with intimate knowledge of all the forests, rivers, and hollow hills in Riverrun's domain in your pocket, I'll never find these outlaws." He turned and walked back through the gate, while the column of sellswords prepared to lead their charges further southwest. Before Landyn could recall whether he'd seen anyone like a younger Lord Damon in the stockades, Marvel was aside him. "That old guy's right. Head into those streams with any army not from there, and you're asking to get ambushed. Were I him, I'd stop all the boats on the Tumblestone going east. I wouldn't try to take their land, because that's suicide. Just lock down the border a bit at a time." "I suppose. It's probably what Lord Marbrand will end up doing. Not that it will bother the Blackfish any." "I wonder how they'll get rid of him, that fishy knight. How these guys will I mean, these Lannisters and Freys and all them." "I suppose they'll have to either wait until he dies from age or hatch a dragon." said Landyn. "Either way, not our problem anymore, right? We'll just ride out the war and the winter in Casterly Rock, far away from any River Kings, or freaking wolves." "Oi, Greene." called Murrand from a few feet off. "Lady Genna wants to see you." The next hour or so was more or less a blur for Landyn, who knelt and made the usual vows to defend the weak and his liege, and stood again as Ser Landyn Greene. In the hours before they left Ashemark, Lady Genna conscripted a few of its seamstresses, and Landyn was presented with a new jerkin and matching banner, bearing a white hart on a green banner.

Finally, after all the mishaps of the past few weeks, Casterly Rock came into view, capping an outcropping of rock jutting into the sea. From its tallest towers, you could see for leagues around. Gold and crimson lion banners flew from every parapet, and hung on each side of the immense studded iron gate. Landyn had the luck to be beside Glimmer when she first saw it. "All that belongs to one person?" she asked, awestruck. "Actually, the westerlands in their entirety belong to the lord or lady of Casterly Rock. We left the riverlands and made it into Casterly Rock's domain two days after our Riverrun escape. Once we find a decent map, I'll show you the extent of the Rock's- of _your_\- influence." Glimmer seemed even more blown over by this. "I…people will help me do this, right?" she said, lip quivering. "Of course! Your great aunt Genna will be pleased to steer you in the right direction, as will your uncle Jaime, the knight we parted ways with at Ashemark, the cripple, should he return from the Vale." Glimmer seemed very much relieved, exhaling slowly. "There's something else." said Landyn. Expectant green eyes looked into his brown ones. "Lady Genna knighted me at Ashemark, and will make me lord of Castamere, a castle destroyed by your grandfather, Lord Tywin, Genna's older brother, and it will be for me to rebuild it once spring comes, hopefully only a few years away." "Ooh, so you get a castle? Neat, how big- wait a second, years away? Seasons only last a few months…don't they?" Aside from her ignorance of the myriad of gods worshipped in the Seven Kingdoms, her understanding of the seasons was most incredible. "Here, they last years. The summer we just had lasted nine years or thereabouts, autumn just over three, and winter is nearly here for true." "I hope it doesn't snow much…" Glimmer said. "Don't worry, you'll have a castle to live in and keep you warm." "Landyn…if you're lord of Castamere…does that mean you'll have to leave me?" said Glimmer in a voice that made his heart break. "I…suppose so. Castamere's a ruin though, it won't be suitable for rebuilding until spring. Until then, your great aunt has graciously invited me to spend the winter in Casterly Rock, along with our rat." "That poor little kid; I'm glad there's someplace safe we can keep him out of trouble. Where is he, anyway?" "Who knows? He's around, like he always is. Little sneak is probably watching us right now." Landyn said, making Glimmer laugh.

In the castle's massive courtyard, Lady Genna proclaimed Glimmer as her grandniece, and the new mistress of the west. The people present, as mattering of minor nobility and lowborn servants looked on Glimmer with more than passing favor, calling her name and waving to her. Perhaps they were glad to finally be out from under Lord Tywin's thumb, or just glad to embrace a young leader full of promise. Their reaction gave Landyn a great sense of relief. These poor people were so eager to love their new lady, glad even to embrace the fruit of a union between an exiled kingslaying kinslaying dwarf and a whore, or so it was said. _Perhaps this deception isn't so awful._ _The_ _Lannisters were tearing the realm apart anyway, it's time someone else got a go at the Golden Chair, _Landyn thought. Her people had hope for the first time in years, and Glimmer had a safe place to live. The rat appeared and stood to his right, seemingly unhappy with the attention being given him. _He belongs in the dark, in the alleys and the sewers, _Landyn thought sadly. Well if a castle like Stokeworth had plenty of dark places to hide, an even larger castle should have a proportionally greater number of hiding spots. "Don't worry about this." he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "As soon as we get inside, disappear down a corridor and be back for the feast." The rat seemed overjoyed at the prospect of sneaking through the Rock, finding all its secret passages and forgotten spaces. "We should get you your own sigil, a black rat eating a nut on a field of gray." The mute smiled. As Landyn knew she would, Lady Genna called for a massive feast to celebrate Glimmer's emergence, and to the delight of the commoners present, also decreed that birth should not bar entry to said occasion, as Glimmer was whisked out of the Landing and Riverrun by a stablehand from the Reach and a mute urchin.

Later, as Landyn washed away the dirt of the journey, he got a knock at the door. "What is it?" he called. "Lady Genna wants to see you in her solar once you've dressed, Ser." called a serving girl. "Very well, tell her I'll be up presently." "Milady sent these down for you, I'll leave them just inside." He heard the door open and the soft sound of a parcel of clothing landing on a chair. The girl scurried away and after Landyn dried off he examined the new clothes, dark green silk shirts and matching leather breeches with his white hart on the breast, and shiny black boots and ermine gloves. Once he figured out how it all went together, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was surprised by how much he _did_ in fact look highborn. His curly brown hair was just long enough to want cutting, but he managed to keep hair off his chin with his dagger every night. Upon making it to Lady Genna's room, he knocked on the door. "Ser Landyn, enter." came the summons. He obeyed, and found Glimmer in another gold-and crimson Lannister gown, with Lady Genna lacing up her back. "My lady, you summoned me?" "Yes. I told you I'd make you a lord once we got Glimmer here, and I meant it. Kneel, ser." Landyn slowly got to one knee. To his surprise, Glimmer got in front of him. "Do you promise to keep the west, the Rock, and myself safe from harm?" "I promise to keep you safe from all harm, and to follow you wherever you may lead." "Then rise, as Landyn of House Greene, Lord of Castamere." Landyn thought for a moment before responding. "You honor me, my liege. I will be worthy of your trust, Lady Glimmer. I promise." he said, standing. "Good man, Lord Landyn. I'd wager the rat is off exploring, we'll never find him. Anyway, there's a feast to be enjoyed, so I'm off for a cup of Arbor gold!" With that, Lady Genna swept from the room, leaving Landyn alone with Glimmer.

"Well, I'm a Lannister now." Glimmer said, a smile on her face. Truly, she looked every inch a daughter of the great house of the west. "You always were." replied Landyn with emphasis. Glimmer covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh of course, just after all those years serving the Seven, it's still a revelation." "Has your great aunt spoken with you about marriage possibilities?" "She did bring up that Willas Tyrell you mentioned, and how hostilities between the Tyrells and Lannisters at this point are more or less inevitable. I told her I'd rather stay with you and the rat." Selfishly, Landyn could not have been more thankful that the branch of Lannisters in King's Landing were a bunch of arrogant fools headed by Cersei Lannister, the most arrogant and foolish of them all. Likely, they were the ones to blame for turning away the family's most powerful ally. "She says I'll likely end up marrying into one of the noble houses of the west." she said, as her face came within an inch of his own. "Not yet, though." Landyn replied, putting a finger on her lips. "As you said, you're too young. Lady Genna will love having you around as a surrogate daughter, and nobody with a thought in his head will think to take you from her so soon." Glimmer's emerald eyes went wide, and she took Landyn's hand in hers. "That doesn't mean I can't thank you for everything you've done, all the times you saved me." she purred, her eyes moving to the bed.

Once Glimmer had redressed and headed down to the feast, Landyn let out a gasp. Nobody had told him what it would be like. He had been beyond nervous, but Glimmer assured him that was a good thing- that her comfort meant more to him than his own. It was short, as neither was too sure what to expect, but that few seconds was burned into Landyn's mind. If he lived to be one hundred and fifty, he'd recall it with perfect detail. He'd wanted to end it before, but Glimmer hushed him with a kiss. Now, he was alone and save for the blanket over him, naked. If this was the life of Lord Greene as opposed to Landyn the stablehand, he could not have been more pleased. Finally, he marshaled the energy to rise and dress, going down to the feast. It was louder than he could've imagined, and the doors opened to three long tables holding every kind of food he could think of, and a fool leaping around and making the diners laugh besides. Soldiers and sellswords sat side by side, rank more or less forgotten in the wake of such a banquet. At the high table, Glimmer whispered into Lady Genna's ear, and he found Murrand with a redheaded young woman in his lap and another on his arm. When he saw Landyn looking at him, he raised his cup and roared something unintelligible over the noise and talking of two hundred other people. Skirting through the throngs of people eager to congratulate him on bringing them a Lannister worth following, he made his way towards the high table. Once there, Lady Genna stood and ordered a toast to the new Lord of Castamere, to whom the whole room raised their cups. He gave them a bow and sat to Glimmer's right. With a fearless grin on his lips, he leaned over and kissed her in full view of the hall, to an escstatic uproar.


End file.
